Weight Weenies

Hello

I have now managed to install my Ciamillo Negative Gravity SL brakes. Actually proved less of a hassle than I expected and the action of the brakes and their resilience looks good.

The set I have installed were bough secondhand and while the front one is perfect I have noticed something odd about the rear - when the brake pads are gripping the rim and I then rock the bike forward and back, there is quiet a lot of movement in the brake arms, probably 5-7mm.

This clearly isn't ideal. Aside from this issue the brake is in very good condition with no damage, corrosion, or other signs of mechanical wear/bends/etc.

On further investigation it looks like the elements of the brake need to be tightened together (I can get it centred in the frame no problem, what I am referring to here is reducing the distance between the two brake arms at the point where they pivot around the central bolt).

I have tried to undo the brake by putting a 13mm spanner onto the main nut and an allen key into the outer end of the brake bolt but even with reasonable force it won't budge.

Does anyone have experience of this issue and how to fix the excessive play?

Thanks for the feedback. Good that I'm doing the right thing, very annoying that it isn't working! I will give it some WD40.

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If you bought them used I'd completely disassemble them and clean them with soap and a soft brush to remove years of hidden contaminates. Then reassemble with some light lube that doesn't attract so much dirt. I had an issue with one of my older ones and it worked for me.

Hi Cep111, thanks for the note. In the end I did manage to dismantle the brake - actually it came apart with no dramas when I used a little more force. This was a great start and confirmed that all the parts were in good condition, also clean. Reassembly was equally undramatic, everything still works. Unfortunately the brakes still have some fore-aft movement when clamped to the rim and the bike is rocked forward and back. I am wondering if the two wafer thin spacers need to be replaced with new units - I can't see anywhere to buy them online. TBH, I am a bit stumped to identify any other issue as all other parts look fine, no bends, twists or wear....

The brake interface on the brake bridge of my fm066 frame was too narrow, so my Zero Gs hollowed-out adjustment nuts wouldn't sit fully flush against the frame. I had to make a little spacer from delrin to fill the space.

Maybe something similar with your brakes?

Marin may have hit on the problem. Some bikes need the aluminum spacers and others don't. The pads won't travel far enough out. They hit the frame inside when opened up. The spacer goes on the frame bolt. I used nylon 1/4" spacers from a hardware store on my last bike. The front worked fine. Ciamillo makes the spacers in several colors too. Post a photo of your brakes!


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Hi guys, thanks for the notes. The brake clamps securely to the brake bridge, it seems to be the brake arms that move a little. I have borrowed another identical caliper and it is rock solid. I suspect the spacers within the brake mechanism. Tim

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